Car-door mechanism



Y Oct. 12 1926.A

v 1,603,083 "a w. KADEL GAR DOOR MECHANVISM Filed Jan. 50 1925 Y "'llnlllllllllllheililm Patented oci. 12, 1926.

'UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

. BYERS W. KABEL, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. I

canfnoon mEcHANIsM.

- Application filed January 30, 1925. Serial No. 5,796.

A This invention relates to railway cars and particularly to mechanismfor supporting the doors thereof. A principal object of the invention isto provide improved means for supportinga car door in a preliminary po--sitlon of closure and also in a mom completely closed position. Afurther object 1s 4-to provide door supporting means involvmg a hookshaped member rigidly secured to the door for cooperation with a pivotedlatching nection therewith.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1.

' Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modiied formof the invention. 'Y Referring t'o the drawings, the side of the lcar,which in the lpresent instance is formed by the hopper end sheet, isindicated by the Y numeral l. The margin 2 of this sheet or plate 1 isoutwardly offset along the edgeof the hopper discharge opening to form aseat 3aga1nst which the door 4 is adapted to close. .,.pThe plane of theplate portion of the 4door 4 is spaced orzremov'ed slightly from" A theoutermost edge 2 of the side sheet 1 so Ythat the portion of the latterwhich extends .l 4outwardly beyond the shoulder 3 constitutes .ing andstiiiening flange 5 which denes the a-sealing flange for cooperatingwith a sealouter edge' of the door. This sealing iiange 5 at the freeedgeof the door stands parallel with and just inside of the flanged edgeof ther-side sheet 1 ofthe car when the door is closed.y The door 4 ishinged along its upper edge and is adapted to swing openl under theinfluence of gravity. The hinge connec- "tionfffor the door is notillustrated in the rawngs as it is welllmown in the art, and

' ay'l be effected in any suitable manner.

Mounted upon the outer face of the door 4 1i's-a door stiifening'membervwhich also #may constitute a ldoorf-"spreader or connector 1n caseswhere-the door 1s constructed as a .outer edge of the door so as toclear the pluralityof plates for closing distinct hopi perdischargeopenings on opposite sides of forlm of said stiilening memberis not essen'- tia Rigidly mounted upon the` door 4 and preferablyattached to the stiifening member 6 vis a door supporting member 7. Thismember is preferablyheld rigidlyl in position by means of rivets 8 whichpass through the web of the stiil'ening member 6 and through the doorplate. A portion of the member 7 is offset outwardly beyond the' sealingflangez and the flanged edge 2 of the car side, andsaid member 7 is bentat right angles to the plane of the door so as to provide a portion 9which overlies the side of the car or hopper end sheet 1 when the dooris in closed position. y

The arm 9 of the member 7 carried by the door, as shown in Figs. 1 and2, is formed as an upwardly facing hook having a latch seat or ledge 10preferabl extending in a plane approximately-parel el yto that of thedoor when the latter is closed. The end of the hook is sloped or beveledas at 11 just in advance of the ledge 10 so as to constitute anapproachl plane for lifting the pivoted 95` either in fully closedposition orin a preliminary position of approximatel closure. For thispurpose the latch 12 is preferably formed at its free end with a mainshoulder hook to hold the door in closed position, and also is providedbetween its ends with an auxiliary shoulder 14` capable 0f cooper# atingwiththe ledge 10 ofthe hook to supvmechanism to be described, theparticular operate with the hook 9 to support the door y 13 capable ofengaging the ledge 10 of the v j fully port the door in partly closedposition. A

locking cam 15 is pivotally mounted upon .the door 4 swinging open thelatch 12 will automatically swing under the influence of gravity to asubstantially perpendicular position; and when the door is. pushedtowards closed position, as for example by pressure from the foot of theattendant, the approach portion 11 of the hook member 7 will contact thefreely swinging latch 12 and will rotate the latter upwardly to aposition enabling its preliminary latching shoulder 14 to drop behindthe ledge 10 and thereby support the door in partly closed position.Force may then be applied to the door 4, either by the foot or bysuitable prying means, to move said door to closed position permittingthe main shoulder 13 of the latch to drop into overlapping engagementwith the ledge 10 of the hook. When the ledges 10 and 13 of the hook andlatch, respectively, are in door supporting relation, the cam 15 may bedriven into locking engagement with the np per surface of the latch 12,thus locking the door shut. Rivets or other suitable means may beemployed for pivotally mounting the latch 12 and cam'15 upon the side ofthe car and a reinforcing member 16 may advantageously extend from thepivot point of the latch 12 to the pivot point of the cam 15, therebypreventing the pivjotal points of these parts from wedging apart whenthe cam is forced into locking engagement with the latch.

In the 'embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 the pivotedlatching member 17 mounted upon the side of the car has but a singleshoulder 18 for cooperating with the fixed hook member 7 carried by thecar door. But in order to support the door in partly closed position aswell as in a position of final closure, the hook member 7 is providedwith a plurality of spaced Wedges 19 with each of which the Shoulder 18of the latch isadapted to engage. By these means the door 4 may bevsupported in diiferent positions vof closure, as will be readilyunderstood.A

As the remaining details of construction of the modified form of theinvention shown in Fig. 3 are substantially the same as those heretoforedescribed, they have been. identified by corresponding referencenumerals.

While preferred forms of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed it is `to he understood that other embodiments thereof arecontemplated Within the scope of the appended claims.`

1. A railway car having a door adapted to swing open under the influenceof gravity, and means for supporting the door against an openingmovement, said means' involving a hook member rigidly secured to thedoor, a latch member pivoted upon the car body and adapted to engagesaid hook member, and means operable independently ofl the latch forreleasably maintaining the latch member in door supporting engagementwith said hook member.

2. A railway car having a. door adapted to swing to open position underthe infiuence of gravity, and means for supporting said door against anopening movement, said means involving a hook member rigidly secured tothe door, a latch member movably mounted upon the car body and adaptedto.

engage said hook member to thereby support said door, one of saidmembers being provided with a plurality of faces for engaging the otherof said members, whereby the door may be supported in differentpositions of closure, and means for releasa'bly maintaining said latchmember in lengagement with said hook member.

3. A railway c ar having a. door adapted to swing open under theinfluence of gravity, said door having an edge substantially paralle]with an adjacent portion of the side of the car, a hook member rigidlysecured to the door and adapted to overlap the side of the car when thedoor is closed, and a latch member pivoted 'upon the car side andadapted to engage said hook member to sup# port said door againstopening movement, onel of said members having a plurality' of faceseither of which is adapted to engage the other of said members toprevent an opening movement of said door.

4. A railway car having a door adapted to swing open under the influenceof gravity, and means for supporting said door against an openingmovement, said means involving a hook member carried by said door, and alatch member movably mounted upon the with a plurality of shoulders eachof which is adapted to engage a shoulder upon said hook member tosupport said door against ,opening movement.

n 5. lA railway car having a door adapted to swing open under theinfluence of gravity, and means for supporting the door against anopening movement, said means involving an upwardly facing hook rigidlysecured to said door and adapted to overlap the side of the car bodywhen the door is closed, a latch member pivotally` mounted upon the carbody above said hook member and ada ted to engage the latter to supportsaid oor l car body, said latch member being provided against an openingmovement, and means for maintaining said latching member in doorlupporting engagement with said hook mem- 6. A railway car having a dooradapted to swing open under the .influence of gravity, and` means forsupporting the door, said means involving -a hook member" rigidlymounted upon said door, a latch `member pivoted to the car side andadapted to engage said hook member to support the door against openingmovement, and means for maintaining said latch member in door supportingengagement with said hook member, said hook member being adapted to passbeneath the pivot point of said latch member during a closing movementof said door.

7. Aurailway car Ahaving a hinged door and means for supporting saiddoor against an opening movement, said means involving f a pivoted latchmember,a hook member hav-v v ing angiilarly extending portions one ofwhich overlaps said door and theother of which is adapted to overlap theside of the car, said last named portion being provided with a shoulderfor engaging said latoh lmember, an-d means for maintaining said BYERSW. KADEL,

